This month, the City of Toronto has experienced several windstorms, with winds reaching over 110/km per hour. These storms have resulted in damaged trees, homes and powerlines – causing blackouts in neighbourhoods across Ward 25.

In events such as these, I reach out to the President of Toronto Hydro to confirm that power will be restored to local residents as soon as possible. I also recently met with the Chair of Toronto Hydro to discuss how to prepare for and remain safe during future storms and power outages.

Although we cannot prevent all power outages, for reasons often beyond our control, I will continue working hard in conjunction with Toronto Hydro to provide this level of service to Ward 25ers.

In the event of a power outage, it's important to be aware of what to do and who to call. Toronto Hydro works diligently to mitigate power outages and has specific protocols in place for both non-emergency and emergency outage situations.

During a non-emergency outage, power outages can be reported online or by phone at (416) 542-8000. Once the outage is reported, crews are dispatched to the site, the damage and exact location of the problem are assessed and repairs are completed. After Toronto Hydro has complete repairs on the power outage site, the repairs are tested and validated to ensure the problem has been resolved, and finally, power is restored.

The vast majority of streetlights in the City of Toronto are owned and maintained by Toronto Hydro. You can also report streetlight outages online, by calling Toronto Hydro at (416) 542-8000 or through 311.

The procedure during emergency situations varies slightly, and Toronto Hydro has a priority sequence established when it comes to power restoration. However, outage durations can vary from case-to-case for reasons such as weather, age of equipment, backyard transformers and powerline and private property.

Typically during an emergency power outage, Toronto Hydro will first restore outages that are the most critical to public safety - including hospitals, fire, police and essential city-wide systems. Toronto Hydro then prioritizes stations or other major feeder lines serving the largest number of customers before restoring power to smaller neighbourhoods, streets and individual homes or businesses.

Visit Toronto Hydro's website to learn more about the power restoration process and what to do during a power outage.